Kingdom in 2007: Encouraging Historic Interfaith Dialogue
Arab News (December
30, 2007) - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s
historic meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Nov. 6 was one
of the highlights of his two-week-long European tour in 2007. It opened
a new era in Muslim-Christian relations as the two leaders called for
dialogue between the followers of major religions in order to promote
world peace. The Vatican meeting captured world attention. German
Chancellor Angelo Merkel commended the king for his meeting with the
pontiff. “We have been following up your meeting with the pope with
great interest. It was a fruitful meeting and we know that you support
interfaith dialogue to resolve all issues and problems,” she said. King
Abdullah arrived in Rome on the second leg of his four-nation European
tour, which also took him to the United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey. The
visits were instrumental in strengthening relations with the four
countries and mobilizing their support for Arab and Islamic causes. King
Abdullah was the first Saudi monarch to have an audience with the pope.
Benedict warmly greeted the king, grasping both his hands before leading
him to a library for their brief private meeting, which lasted 60
minutes, with both leaders speaking through interpreters. The Vatican
said the talks allowed a wide discussion on the need for religious and
cultural dialogue among Christians, Muslims and Jews “for the promotion
of peace, justice and spiritual and moral values, especially in support
of the family.” Both sides emphasized the need for a “just solution” to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. About a million Catholics, many of
them migrant workers from the Philippines, live in Saudi Arabia, home of
Islam’s two holiest mosques. The BBC’s Frances Harrison in Rome said the
symbolism of the meeting was huge for those who believe there should be
more dialogue between Islam and Christianity, especially after the
pontiff’s controversial September 2006 speech at Regensburg University,
denigrating the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Benedict’s speech
sparked anger across the Muslim world. Later he said he was
misunderstood and regretted offending Muslims. Since then, he has met a
number of Islamic leaders and a year ago visited predominantly Muslim
Turkey. The Vatican has said it wants to pursue a dialogue with moderate
Muslims. Marco Politi, the Vatican correspondent for the Italian daily
La Repubblica and a biographer of Pope John Paul II, said: “I think it
is extraordinarily important that an official communiqué from the
Vatican and an important Islamic state like Saudi Arabia mentions
‘cooperation’ between Christians Muslims and Jews — not dialogue but
cooperation.” The meeting, presaged by an upbeat front-page article in
L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s newspaper, was also a clear attempt
by the Vatican to repair damage done by the pope’s statement on the
Prophet, which the Islamic world had seen as insensitive if not
incendiary. more...
According to the Scriptures The
Berean Call (December 1, 2007) - The
Bible makes uncompromisingly clear to all mankind its claim to be the
infallible, inerrant Word of the only true and living God. It denounces
all other gods and scriptures as false, as well as the religions they
represent. Of Jesus, God's Word declares, "He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John
3:36). Peter told Jewish religious leaders (and was
beaten, imprisoned, and killed for testifying to Christ's resurrection):
"There is none other name...given among men
whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Such
unequivocal statements cannot be misunderstood. Jews would not have been
persecuted and killed had they presented Yahweh as just one more god to
be added to the Roman Pantheon. Christians were considered an even
greater threat because in obedience to Christ they preached the gospel
everywhere and thereby "turned the world upside
down" (Acts 17:6).
Even they would not have been persecuted and killed had they presented
Jesus Christ as merely one of many possible saviors. It was their firm
proclamation of Christ's claim, "I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John
14:6), that threatened Caesar and aroused such vicious
hatred. Today, however, to avoid the objectionable exclusivity of their
faith, "Christians" often compromise and many ecumenically deny the
biblical gospel. Christianity is a biblical faith, and the Bible is not
an "ecumenical" book. It makes no compromise with any of the world's
religions. Those who support ecumenism to any extent, no matter how
loudly they defend their orthodoxy, are not Bible-believing Christians.
At worst they are deliberate frauds; at best they are confused into
simultaneously professing two contradictory beliefs (syncretism). Which
do they really believe? Speaking out of both sides of their mouths is a
popular ploy today of both political and "Christian" leaders. Anyone is
free to invent any new religion-but not free to call it Christianity.
That faith is founded upon facts: Scripture, history, and prophecy, all
of which are a matter of clear record and none of which can be changed.
These facts cannot honestly be denied. What must we say of "Christian"
leaders and even entire denominations that do not follow Christ and His
Word? We have exposed many by name and have documented in these pages
their inexcusable hypocrisy and deceit, which must be summarily
rejected. Away with all duplicity! Whoever (Bush, Rice, et al.) insists
that Islam is a "religion of peace" and that Allah is the God of the
Bible is either deceived or lying. Islam has its founding prophet,
Muhammad, who began his career with numerous murders, attacked peaceful
villages and caravans, and beheaded hundreds who surrendered in exchange
for his sworn promise of peace and safety. Islam has its scriptures (the
Qur'an and Hadith) and 1,350 years of the bloodiest and most violent
history of any religion ever known, including the merciless slaughter of
millions (more millions in the take-over of India than Hitler killed in
all of Eastern and Western Europe). We fully document the truth about
Islam in Judgment Day , which every Berean ought to donate to his or her
local public library. One can only say that all those (from Bush and
Rice on down) who turn a blind eye to the indisputable truth about Islam
and call this violent religion "peaceful" are engaged in a cover-up. It
is indisputable that today's Islamic terrorism may not honestly be
blamed upon "extremists." This is true Islam as it always has been from
the beginning! Terrorists are sincere Muslims following both the
teaching and example of Muhammad, the obedient example set by his loyal
followers, and Islam's scriptures, which command the take-over of the
entire world and death to all who will not convert. True, not every
Muslim is a terrorist, but nearly every terrorist is a Muslim!
more...
Ankara welcomes Pope's EU comments The
Irish Times (November 29, 2006) -
Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan reacted positively today to
comments made by Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to Turkey but there were
more difficulties over the country's bid to join the European Union. The
Pontiff began a 4-day visit yesterday with the aim of defusing Muslim
anger over his recent comments implying Islam was violent religion that
should not be allowed spread throughout the EU. Yesterday, the Pope made
comments which gave apparent support to Turkey's controversial bid to
join the EU and today he made conciliatory comments about Islam. Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan after a private meeting with the Pontiff that
the Pope was in favour Turkey's membership bid. "He said 'we are not
political but we wish for Turkey to join the EU'," Mr Erdogan told
journalists. At the Nato summit in Riga, today Italian Prime Minister
Romano Prodi said Mr Erdogan had declared himself "very satisfied" with
the start of the Pope's trip. Celebrating mass at a shrine in
southwestern Turkey today, where believers say the Virgin Mary lived her
last days, Pope Benedict stressed that Christians and Muslims share a
common devotion to the mother of Jesus. Benedict said in his sermon:
"From here in Ephesus, a city blessed by the presence of Mary Most Holy
- who we know is loved and venerated also by Muslims - let us lift up to
the Lord a special prayer for peace between peoples." The Koran
describes Mary as the virgin mother of Jesus, whom Muslims consider the
greatest prophet after Mohammed, and some Muslims - especially women -
visit shrines to her. Benedict's comments on his first official visit to
a Muslim country appeared to go a long way towards making up for a
speech in Germany, which led to several attacks on churches in the
Muslim world and the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia. A columnist in
the Milliyet daily newspaper today said the Pope's comments
were "a big warning for conservative politicians who think the EU is a
Christian club." The EU has criticised Turkey for its treatment of
non-Muslim religious minorities and today the European Commission put a
further barrier to accession when it recommend the suspension of some
strands of negotiations over Ankara's failure to open its ports to EU
member Cyprus. more... I'm learning a little more about the Vatican's place as the woman riding the beast of Revelation 17. I just read a good historic look at the Vatican and her history of "reigning over the kings of the earth." Revelation 17:18 It is by S.H. Venour and is called New World Order: The Counterfeit Kingdom. It was written in 1998 and so the more current news of Europe's rise to power and the 10 kingdoms is missing in the assessment, but the history of the Roman Catholic Church remains the same and as the Bible states is at the core of planning for a New World Order. But her judgment will come in one day and the 10 kings will maul her and burn her with fire according to God's judgment He has put in their heart to fulfill. Revelation 18"It is very important that the visit of Pope Benedict XVI coincides with a period in which the final declaration of Alliance of Civilizations Initiative Istanbul Summit was released," said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who held a news conference regarding his meeting with Pope at Ankara's Esenboga Airport on Tuesday. LinkThis brings me to this article brought to attention by Bjorn on his blog regarding the Alliance of Civilizations. If you have been reading my comments in past issues, you know that the Alliance of Civilizations is heading for a war on those with fundamentalist religious beliefs that claim sole ownership to the Truth. At the core of the Catholic Church is still the Bible and although this Bible is changed from its original, it still states that Yeshua is the only way to salvation. I think therefore that this is why the woman who has controlled and guided world politics over the millennia (riding the beast), will be hated by the 10 horns. In order for the plans for a One World Religion to come to fruition, the foundation of belief must be destroyed. In the case of Christianity, that is the Bible. The Vatican is working toward that end of a One World Religion through the method of accepting all belief and mixing them to dilute the Truth, a trademark of Babylon. In this way, if nobody reads the Bible for themselves and rather trust in the interpretations of men like the Pope for direction, when the great deception is unleashed with power, signs and lying wonders, the world without a firm foundation will have signs and wonders to deceive them from the Truth that has been written in the Bible from the beginning. I believe we may see the Pope at the time act as the 12th Mahdi for Islam and redirect worship of traditional means to the antichrist. It this is the case, then those who listen to the Pope over the Bible will be deceived and lost.
Pope invites senior Muslims to Vatican meeting Breitbart.com
(November 29, 2007) - Pope Benedict XVI
invited a delegation of senior
Muslim personalities, who signed an appeal for greater dialogue between
religions, to a meeting at the Vatican, according to a letter released
Thursday. The pope praised the "positive spirit" behind the October 11
message signed by 138 top Muslims from around the world and sent to
Christian leaders, said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio
Bertone in the letter sent in Pope Benedict's name. The pope wanted to
meet a representative group of the signatories at the Vatican, he added
in the letter sent to Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, head of the
Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman. "The Pope has asked me to convey
his gratitude to Your Royal Highness and to all who signed the letter,"
Bertone wrote. "He also wishes to express his deep appreciation for this
gesture, for the positive spirit which inspired the text and for the
call for a common commitment to promoting peace in the world. "Without
ignoring or downplaying our differences as Christians and Muslims, we
can and therefore should look to what unites us, namely, belief in the
one God, the provident Creator and universal Judge who at the end of
time will deal with each person according to his or her actions. We are
all called to commit ourselves totally to him and to obey his sacred
will." The letter said the pope "was particularly impressed by the
attention given in the letter to the twofold commandment to love God and
one's neighbour." It recalled Pope Benedict's statement in August 2005
soon after he took office that "we must not yield to the negative
pressures in our midst, but must affirm the values of mutual respect,
solidarity and peace. "The life of every human being is sacred, both for
Christians and for Muslims. There is plenty of scope for us to act
together in the service of fundamental moral values." "Such common
ground allows us to base dialogue on effective respect for the dignity
of every human person, on objective knowledge of the religion of the
other, on the sharing of religious experience and, finally, on common
commitment to promoting mutual respect and acceptance among the younger
generation," the letter went on. "The Pope is confident that, once this
is achieved, it will be possible to cooperate in a productive way in the
areas of culture and society, and for the promotion of justice and peace
in society and throughout the world." more...
Alaskans recall alleged abuse by Jesuits Associated
Press (November 21, 2007) -
Holding photos of themselves as children, Elsie Boudreau and
James Niksik described what they said were years of sexual abuse
by Jesuit priests that led to the announcement of a $50 million
settlement. They said Tuesday that their abusers were venerated
in the isolated western Alaska villages where they grew up.
"This is a crime that our parents and our grandparents couldn't
even conceive of," said Boudreau, who said her photo was taken
for her first communion in the village of St. Mary's. The press
conference was held two days after the announcement of the $50
million settlement with the Pacific Northwest branch of the
Society of Jesus, which includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
Montana and Alaska. The Jesuit organization's settlement covers
110 Alaska Natives who say they were abused by more than a dozen
priests. "This is how big I was," said Niksik, from the village
of St. Michael, pointing to a photo of himself and another child
at what he said was age 7 or 8. "We put our trust in the people
who taught us religion." When he told his father about the
abuse, Niksik said, his father didn't believe him. The
settlement does not include the Fairbanks Roman Catholic
Diocese, which owned and managed churches in rural Alaska. The
settlement doesn't require the Jesuits to acknowledge
wrongdoing, but lawyers for the plaintiffs said the size of the
settlement spoke for itself. John Manly, who has handled several
abuse cases, said the plaintiffs believe that church officials
knowingly sent "the worst of the worst" to isolated villages and
that the Jesuits continue to care for abusers. He said he
believes abusers are still in the ministry. The Very Rev. John
Whitney, provincial superior of the society, has denied that
Alaska was a dumping grounds for pedophile priests.
more...
'Vatican-Israeli ties worsening' The Jerusalem Post (November 17, 2007) - A senior Vatican diplomat who served as papal envoy to Israel has described Vatican-Israeli relations as worsening, blaming Israel for failing to keep promises related to church land, taxes and travel restrictions on Arab clergy. Archbishop Pietro Sambi lashed out at Israel in an interview posted Friday on Terrasanta.net, an online publication about the Holy Land. "If I must be frank, the relations between the Catholic Church and the state of Israel were better when there were no diplomatic ties," said Sambi, interviewed earlier in the week in Washington, where he now serves as Pope Benedict XVI's envoy to the United States. "The Holy See decided to establish diplomatic relations (in 1993) with Israel as an act of faith, leaving to latter the serious promises to regulate concrete aspects of the life of the Catholic community and the Church" in Israel, Sambi said. Among the issues hanging are the status of expropriated church property, services that Catholic groups perform for Israel's Jewish and Arab population, and tax exemptions for the Church. The Vatican diplomat also cited a current sore point - the granting of permits for Arab Christian clergy traveling to and around the West Bank. Israel has rescinded some travel privileges for those clergy because of security concerns. Israel and the Palestinian territories are home to a small Christian minority. Sambi complained that the Knesset has failed to give necessary approval to various accords that had been signed by both sides, and noted that an impasse over taxes has been discussed on and off for nearly 10 years without resolution. He blamed the situation on Israel's "absence of political will." "Everyone can see what kind of trust you can give to Israel's promises," Sambi said. Asked about Sambi's criticisms, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: "Israel is interested in good relations with the Vatican and Israeli and Vatican officials are working to overcome gaps that exist." Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the interview with Sambi "reflects his thinking and his personal experience" during the diplomat's former posting in Israel. Lombardi said the Holy See reiterated the hope, expressed in September when Benedict met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, for a "rapid conclusion of the important negotiations" and a common solution to "existing problems." Earlier this year, tensions developed between the Vatican and Israel when the Holy See's ambassador to Israel initially decided to boycott a Holocaust memorial service because of allegations that during World War II Pope Pius XII was silent about the mass killings of Jews. Please learn a little of the history of the Vatican and their connection to and control of the plans for global governance through history. Much of my life I had a tendency to just accept without research and I'm discovering that things are not at all what they are made to appear to be. Keep watching.
Saudi king to visit the Vatican Gulf
Times (November 1,
2007) - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will make an unprecedented
visit to the Vatican next week, the Pope’s press office announced
yesterday. Abdullah, currently on a state visit to Britain, will have
an audience with Pope Benedict XVI on November 6. It will be the first
time a Saudi king has visited the Vatican and the two states do not have
diplomatic relations. Abdullah will meet Italian Prime Minister Romano
Prodi later that day, the chair of the cabinet announced. Last month the
Pope met the Saudi foreign minister at his summer residence outside Rome
to discuss the Middle East and the “defence of religious and moral
values” — as well as the political and religious situation in Saudi
Arabia.
World Religious Leaders Meet For Peace Summit News.com.au (October
22, 2007) - Leaders of the world's main religions kicked
off an annual interfaith peace summit in Naples today with calls
for a global organisation uniting their faiths. Orthodox
Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan
Williams, Israel's chief rabbi Yona Metzger and the imam of the
United Arab Emirates, Ibrahim Ezzeddin, were among those
attending the gathering. "Civilisations don't dialogue directly,
but through those who carry their traditions and cultural
values. So we should not speak of a dialogue of civilisations,
but a culture of dialogue," Bartholomew told the opening. In a
similar vein, Rabbi Metzger proposed a "United Nations of
Religions" that would "embrace the heads of religious
communities that have a profound influence on their
congregations". "If we sit down together around one table ...
surely we could arrive at effective solutions," he said. Ibrahim
Ezzedin, too, advocated a formal structure linking world
religions, saying: "This important grouping of God-fearing
people cannot and should not limit itself to processions,
conferences and seminars." "We need to form a permanent and
authorised executive machinery for ... executing any decisions
we may make," he added. The Muslim leader however spoke harshly
of "unjustified provocations in places such as Iraq and
Afghanistan and ... unfair dealings in Palestine" that have
prompted "some Muslim individuals and groups (to go) astray and
wrong themselves by violent actions". He added: "We are dismayed
by the behaviour of some great powers who continue to act
aggressively against other countries, by means of military
occupation under fabricated pretexts ... forced regime changes
and blunt interference in other countries' affairs." The
Sant'Egidio summits are meant to carry on the "spirit of Assisi"
and were launched 21 years ago by John Paul II in the birthplace
of Saint Francis. The first summit, dubbed a World Day of Prayer
for Peace, was attended by the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa and
other religious leaders. The Pope, then Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, stayed away, reportedly out of concern that it put
all religions on an equal footing. Thus the timing of his
pastoral visit to Naples has been billed as a "happy
coincidence" by Sant'Egidio, a lay Catholic organisation that
has mediated in several world conflicts. The theme of this
year's peace summit is "A World Without Violence: Faiths and
Cultures in Dialogue", with topics to include AIDS, immigration,
the plight of Africa and the quest for peace in the Middle East.
more... In the name of peace and security, some people are willing to drop their religious beliefs. Christians in particular will always be removed from these groups because Yeshua said that He is the only way to the Father. This is one reason we will be hated in the coming years and the Alliance of Civilizations being developed currently works against those who claim sole ownership to the Truth. Christ defined us as Christians in that way because we profess what He stated, that He is the only way to heaven. How many Christians would stick to that in the face of death? Would you?
'Make peace with us – or we'll kill you!'
World Net Daily
(October 12, 2007) - An open letter
issued by a group of 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and academics issued
an "invitation" to the Vatican, the archbishop of Canterbury and other
Christian leaders to "make peace" with Islam. At least, that is the way
most mainstream news reports styled it – "an invitation to make peace."
It was actually more of an ultimatum than it was an invitation. Boiled
down to its essence, the letter warned Christians to "make peace with us
or we'll kill you." The letter just phrases it more nicely. "As Muslims,
we say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not
against them – so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on
account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their
homes." It was hard to know what to make of that statement. If it refers
to the war on terror, it was Osama bin Laden who declared this a war of
religions, in which he identified his enemies as Christian Crusaders and
Jews. The so-called "invitation" to make peace with Islam suggests that
the price of peace is Islamic freedom to make war on others without fear
of retaliation. At no point in the conflict has anyone other than Islam
defined it as a conflict between Christians and Jews against Islam.
The statement was timed to coincide with the end of the
Islamic month of Ramadan and one year after the pope inflamed the
sentiments of the Religion of Perpetual Outrage by quoting the words of
an obscure 14th century Byzantine emperor. The letter was hailed by
Newsweek as "something of a miracle" – treating it as if were an olive
branch being offered by the victim to the aggressor, if only the
aggressor were humane enough to accept it. Gushed Newsweek in it's
column headlined,
"Give Peace a Chance" – as if it were the West who opposed peace and
had suddenly run amok attacking innocent Muslims everywhere – "It is
addressed to Christianity's most powerful leaders, including the pope,
the archbishop of Canterbury and the heads of the Lutheran, Methodist
and Baptist churches, and, in 15 pages laced with quranic and biblical
scriptures, argues that the most fundamental tenets of Islam and
Christianity are identical: love of one (and the same) God, and love of
one's neighbor." I hardly know where to begin
to address that statement. In the first place, if it were true, then no
Muslim could make a credible argument to his co-religionists based on
the most fundamental tenets of Islam that there is any eternal reward to
be had for killing one's enemy in jihad. If it were true, then the word
"jihad" wouldn't be an Islamic concept. There is no identical
fundamental belief within Judaism or Christianity that ascribes special
spiritual benefits to dying in religious combat. In fact, there is no
such concept of "religious combat" of any kind in Christianity or
Judaism. The Bible relates combat involving Jews against their enemies,
but those were territorial political battles, not battles to impose
Judaism on the vanquished. Jews don't particularly encourage converts,
and Christians believe that conversion can only be accomplished by the
Holy Spirit. The job of the Christian is limited to sharing the Gospel,
not imposing it by force or threats. Christians are taught by no less an
authority than the Lord Himself, "And whosoever will not receive you,
when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for
a testimony against them." The Quran tells the faithful that, should an
infidel reject Islam, "you will fight against them until they submit."
And of course, those who continue to reject are to be slaughtered. The
document is peppered with references to the Islamic contention that
Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God, which got rave
reviews from the press. Time magazine enthused, "The letter notes
that 'whilst Islam and Christianity are obviously different religions –
and whilst there is no minimizing some of their formal differences,'
both require believers to believe in only one god, and it's the same
god." Time, in its excitement, is emulating Newsweek's style of making
sweeping theological pronouncements disguised as
news. From their perspective, who can blame them? If you don't believe
in any god at all, what difference does it make? One god is as good as
the next – or as some Americans would say, as offensive as the other.
Islam not only demands that its followers believe that Allah is the same
god as the God of Christians and Jews; it demands that Christians and
Jews agree. Neither Christianity nor Judaism imposes that requirement on
their adherents, although Christians and Jews generally agree that the
God of Israel is also the God of Christianity. Not because one side or
the other demands it, but because both understand from the Bible that
the nature of the God of Israel and the God of Christianity are the
same. The mainstream media embraced the letter as vindication of their
long-held but difficult to believe faith in the existence of a vast,
moderate Islamic majority that follow the kinder, gentler Islam that we
keep hearing about, but for which we see little evidence. That is one
way of interpreting it, if you really squint hard. Unfortunately, there
are verses in the Quran that nobody wants to talk about – probably
because nobody wants to consider the awful implications of their
meaning. The ignorance of our political leaders and the media concerning
Islam's true beliefs is beyond deplorable; it is more in the range of
criminal negligence in time of war. Under Islamic law, before Islam can
make war against the infidel with Allah's blessings, the infidels must
first be offered an opportunity to submit to Islam. Osama bin Laden has
just recently asked the leaders and people of the United States to
embrace Islam. So has Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. All these letters offer the
West the "opportunity" to submit to Allah as being equal to God. They
also warn that, should their offer be rebuffed, "The very survival of
the world is at stake." Islam just finished the feast of Ramadan. Here
is what the Quran says should be the attitude of all Muslims at the end
of this sacred feast season: "So when the sacred months have passed
away, then slay the idolaters [particularly Jews and Christians]
wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie
in wait for them in every ambush. …" (Quran, Surah 9.5) The irony of our
leaders' and media's response is mind-boggling. This is not an offer of
peace – it is a prelude to war. In the cold light of day it means, "Make
peace with Islam and Allah, or we'll kill you."
Muslim scholars reach out to Pope
BBC News
(October 12, 2007) -
More than 130 Muslim scholars have written to Pope Benedict XVI and
other Christian leaders urging greater understanding between the two
faiths. The letter says that world peace could depend on improved
relations between Muslims and Christians. It identifies the principles
of accepting only one god and living in peace with one's neighbours as
common ground between the two religions. It also insists that Christians
and Muslims worship the same god. The letter comes on the anniversary of
an open letter issued to the Pope last year from 38 top Muslim clerics,
after he made a controversial speech on Islam. Pope Benedict sparked an
uproar in September last year by quoting a medieval text which linked
Islam to violence. The letter coincides with the Eid al-Fitr
celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan. It was also sent to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the heads of the Lutheran, Methodist and
Baptist churches, the Orthodox Church's Patriarch of Constantinople
Bartholomew I and other Orthodox Patriarchs. The letter, entitled A
Common Word Between Us and You, compares passages in the Koran and the
Bible, concluding that both emphasise "the primacy of total love and
devotion to God", and the love of the neighbour. With Muslims and
Christians making up more than half the world's population, the letter
goes on, the relationship between the two religious communities is "the
most important factor in contributing to meaningful peace around the
world". As Muslims, we say to Christians that we are not against them
and that Islam is not against them - so long as they do not wage war
against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive
them out of their homes," the letter says. It adds: "To those who
nevertheless relish conflict and destruction for their own sake or
reckon that ultimately they stand to gain through them, we say our very
eternal souls are all also at stake if we fail to sincerely make every
effort to make peace and come together in harmony." One of the
signatories, Dr Aref Ali Nayed, a senior adviser at the Cambridge
Inter-faith Programme at Cambridge University, told the BBC that the
document should be seen as a landmark.
Need of the Hour Fulfilled Prophecy (September 27, 2007) - You know the old saying, "The devil is in the details"? It couldn't be more true of the United Nations gathering taking place right now. For two weeks each year, world leaders swoop on the U.N. headquarters in New York, where they're given a platform to address their concerns. Media has aired sound bytes from their speeches -- mostly juicy ones about Iran's president -- yet much of the real news is happening on the sidelines, out of the spotlight. Yesterday, for example, the Alliance of Civilizations Group of Friends held its second ministerial meeting, attended by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim. The presence of the U.N's top two leaders shows that this meeting was not viewed by them as peripheral. Quite the contrary, in his remarks to the Group of Friends, Ban called the AoC's task of healing the divide between Muslim and Western societies "the need of the hour." Ban went on to say that the AoC "can help reinforce the work of the United Nations system." For those who don't know what the AoC is -- let's just say it's "the U.N. meets religion." The U.N. realized it can't achieve world peace without getting religious people onboard -- those who are the source of so much conflict. So, in 2005, it launched this initiative -- co-sponsored by the prime ministers of Spain and Turkey -- which "hopes to contribute to a coalescing global movement" against religious extremism, according to its Web site. Unfortunately for Christians, it labels as "extremists" all those who claim sole ownership to the truth -- not just terrorists. (Learn how it may play into the end-times false religious system in league with the Antichrist.) During his speech yesterday, Sampaio enlisted the help of the Group of Friends -- made up of representatives from governments and multilateral organizations -- in fulfilling his vision for the AoC, as outlined in the "Implementation Plan 2007-2009." But, first, Sampaio pointed out how many nations have joined the Group of Friends since late April, from about 40 to over 70. See the list here. This means the AoC now has weight to throw around. Or, in Sampaio's words, "our ever-enlargening Group of Friends has now reached the critical mass of participation." Read his speech here. He said it's time to turn the AoC's momentum into concrete action in the form of commitments from governments. He urged the Group of Friends to go back to their countries and seek suggestions for projects and policies that can be implemented nationally, regionally and locally -- targeting the AoC's four areas of focus: education, youth, migration and media. According to the Implementation Plan, such projects should include programs to train journalists, major-motion films, AoC youth groups, advertisements at cultural and sporting events, and new curriculum on religion for schoolchildren. As Sampaio said yesterday, the AoC is much more than conferences and lectures: It "needs to be integrated in the domestic agendas of the countries, in the international agenda and indeed in all aspects of the work of the United Nations." In other words, the AoC is planning some big stuff. If the Implementation Plan is, indeed, implemented, then schools around the world may soon be required to use AoC-approved curriculum. Yes, even religious schools (don't believe me, read the Implementation Plan). Do you want your kids being taught that all religions are equally valid -- that Jesus was wrong and he isn't the only way? Of course, this excludes, for now, the United States, which hasn't yet joined the Group of Friends. But, oh, the difference one election can make! The participating government's suggestions will be presented at the AoC's first annual forum, Jan. 15-16, in Madrid Spain. Sampaio urged them to view this event as a golden opportunity for the AoC to go public. You think Hollywood's got a liberal agenda, wait until film directors catch the AoC vision. And don't forget the very real possibility of Super Bowls sponsored by the Alliance of Civilizations. The good thing is then the media will have to report on it.| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | RCC | NewWorldOrder | America | Apostasy |
The Secret Nazis Covet the Temple
Mount Ezine
@rticles - "Even before the
end of this war, I revealed to you
the plans for a NAZI UNDERGROUND
MOVEMENT, to go underground as a
SECRET organization the very
moment they lost the war - to lay
low...then come forth when least
expected, RESTORE GERMANY TO
POWER, and go on to finally
accomplish their aims in a WORLD
WAR III" - The Plain Truth, Sept.
1948.
The Philadelphia Trumpet
magazine (Feb. 2000) reminded its
international audience that
Herbert W. Armstrong wrote those
prophetic words long before they
were confirmed by Reuters Arthur
Spiegelman, who wrote on May 10,
1996: "Realizing they were losing
the war in 1944, Nazi leaders met
top German industrialists to plan
a secret post-war international
network to restore them to power,
according to a newly declassified
U.S. intelligence document. The
document...says an SS general and
a representative of the German
armaments ministry told such
companies as Krupp and Rohling
that they must be prepared to
finance the Nazi Party...when it
went underground." Ella Steinberg,
executive director of the World
Jewish Congress stated: "Now that
the Nazi secret plan has been
confirmed, the central question is
whether it has been carried out."
Need we wonder? Considering German
hegemony throughout Europe is
practically a done deal (with the
Vatican's blessing), aren't
Herbert W. Armstrong's warnings
about the final revival of the
"Holy Roman Empire"
being fulfilled before our very
eyes? Only the deaf, dumb and
blind could deny that the Germans
have thoroughly carried out their
plans! But what is the
German-Catholic kingdom without
the crown of Jerusalem? "Woe to
Ariel, Ariel, the city where David
dwelt!" (Isaiah 29:1). The
Vatican covets
Mount Zion
and the Temple Mount and Europe
won't quit until it occupies the
eternal capital of Israel! Both
the Arabs and the Jews had better
beware any European moves into the
Middle East. David Ben-Ariel,
a Christian-Zionist writer and
author of
Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and
Fall,
shares a special focus on the
Middle East, reflected in
hard-hitting articles that help
others improve their understanding
of that troubled region. Check out
the
Beyond Babylon blog.
Woe to Ariel! (Jerusalem to suffer EU occupation) Ezine
@rticles - Isaiah 29:1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where
David dwelt! Carl Sandburg, an American writer warned: "If America forgets
where she came from...if she listens to the deniers and mockers, then will
begin the rot and dissolution." The same principle applies to our Jewish
brethren in Israel. The most merciful God of Jacob-Israel resurrected the
nation of Israel from the graveyard of history and offered us a new
opportunity to fulfill our unique calling to become a model nation, a kingdom
of priests, a light to all nations, based upon the Law and the Prophets. Yet
secular Jews, Hellenist Jews, UNJews, have divorced themselves from the Bible
and have sought to make Israel just like all the other nations. And the
corrupt Chief Rabbinate and blind religious leaders have woefully neglected
(and forfeited by default) Judaism's most holy site: the Temple Mount. Despite
the faithlessness of many of Israel's leaders, the Great God of the Universe
liberated areas of Judea and Samaria and restored Judaism's holiest site
(supposedly) - the Temple Mount - into Jewish hands. Did Israel immediately
invite the God of history to return with our exiles (now making aliyah)
by building the Third Temple? Did they honor the God of our fathers by
creating an Embassy for the Eternal upon the Temple Mount? No! Instead
Israelis despised their most sacred inheritance, the crown jewel of Jerusalem,
and permitted militant Muslims to continue their abominable occupation. The
foreign foxes terrorize faithful Jews and Christian Zionists who attempt to
worship upon the Temple Mount and illegally refuse to let them pray or read
the Bible. Israel has failed to uphold religious rights for non-Muslims (that
are trampled daily) and has failed to guarantee "freedom of access." The
biblical solution is to build the "House of Prayer for All Peoples" spoken of
by the Prophets. Queen Victoria said: "I think it very unwise to give up what
we hold," referring to territories of the British-Israelite empire. Judah has
been "very unwise" to surrender holy land to the enemies of God and Israel in
the name of a lying peace. The accursed and treacherous Oslo accords, like a
murderous cancer, continue to eat away at the very foundations of the Jewish
state and the Jews have only themselves to blame. Does someone have to be a
prophet to recognize prophetic trends and to be grieved about them? Or to
perceive that divine judgment is surely coming upon our beloved nations? Can't
we just be like righteous King Josiah who HEARD AND BELIEVED the inspired
words of the PROPHETS? (2 Chron. 34:15-33). He took God's "ancient" warning
seriously and then did everything he could to avert national disaster! God
respected him for it. Yet the American, British and Jewish peoples today
despise those who dare come forth, teaching and preaching the Word of God,
encouraging repentance to spare our people from the unprecedented "Time of
Jacob's Trouble," "the Great Tribulation" (Jer. 30:7, Matt. 24:21). At least,
when they're temporarily crushed under the heels of a German-led Europe,
when the Jewish Quarter is made Judenrein and the
Temple Mount seized and occupied by
Vatican forces that are intent on ripping the heart out of Israel
for their pagan purposes (Dan. 11:45, Zech. 14:2), they will remember that they had been warned by a loving God, and hopefully will then have a
change of heart and attitude that will hasten the process of redemption and
welcome home the Messiah whom Two Witnesses will announce to the
cities of Judah and proclaim to the world (Zech. 12:10).
Pope reinstates Islam department BBC
News (May 28, 2007)
- Pope Benedict XVI has reversed a
controversial decision he took a
year ago to downgrade the Vatican
department which deals with the
Islamic world. The Council for
Interreligious Dialogue will be
restored to its former position as
a department in its own right. It
is not clear if the department's
former head, British archbishop
Michael Fitzgerald, will also be
reinstated. His removal was seen
as a sign the Pope was more
interested in improving ties with
other Christian denominations. The
BBC's David Willey in Rome says
that by reversing his decision,
which was interpreted negatively
in the Muslim world, the Pope has
tacitly admitted that this was a
mistake. Relations between the
Vatican and Muslims have
deteriorated over the past year,
particularly over remarks made by
the pontiff during a visit to
Germany last September, in which,
some thought, he appeared to
equate Islam with violence. The
Pope insisted his words had been
taken out of context and that he
meant no offence to the Muslim
religion. In a rare about face,
Vatican Secretary of State
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone told the
Italian newspaper, La Stampa, that
the Council for Interreligious
Dialogue would again become "a
dicastery in its own right". In
March 2006, the Pope had
downgraded the office by merging
it with the Pontifical Council for
Culture. "The change highlights
the importance of inter-religious
dialogue," Cardinal Bertone said.
The cardinal did not, however,
identify who would be asked to
lead the council after its
reinstatement. The last president,
Archbishop Fitzgerald, an expert
on Islamic affairs, was appointed
papal nuncio to Egypt and the
Vatican's representative at the
Arab League in Cairo. Our
correspondent says the archbishop,
a fluent Arabic speaker, is much
respected as a negotiator for the
Vatican within the Muslim world. Blair-faced Liars: Blair, Clinton and the New World Order European Institute of Protestant Studies (May 18, 2000) - A very perceptive article by Steve Pierce entitled "My peace I give you", published in the January, 1998, edition of Workers of Iniquity, exposes the fact that it is really the Roman Catholic Church that is behind the façade of Tony Blair and New Labour. It could also be shown that the same is true of Bill Clinton and his universal 'peace' missions. The already proven sympathy of both men with the Romanist faith and system, as well as their active dedication to promoting the policies of the Papacy world-wide, is a reflection of the real men behind the masks. On page 8 Pierce writes: "Until he attended the 1993 meeting [of European Heads of State] in Athens, Tony Blair was merely the Shadow Home Secretary. Following this meeting, however, he was carefully groomed and 'raised up' to fulfil the requirements of the 'coming New Order' which he briefly mentioned in a political speech on March 18, 1997, though few noticed or understood the implications of what he said. Since then he has been carefully steered and has regularly received much guidance and counselling from Bill Clinton, who not only accompanied him to the Amsterdam Summit, but afterwards instructed our Parliament, though the voters who put Blair into office were not allowed to know what was discussed; and what is an American President doing instructing our Parliament in the first place? If it was something beneficial or acceptable to the United Kingdom's populace we would have been told, so obviously whatever was discussed was either alarming or unacceptable. […] It looks like we are going to find out the hard way." What is this 'New Order' being promoted behind the pressed suits and contrived body language of Blair and the hypocritical moralising of the arch-immoralist Clinton? What Tony Blair is really doing, says Pierce, is ushering in the [resurrection of the] 'Holy' Roman Empire. This is entirely consistent with our analysis that the real aim of the European Union is a United Roman Catholic States of Europe, which was the ideal pursued by Pius XII through his Concordat with Adolf Hitler. In a remarkable speech given in French in 1975, Pope Paul VI said that it was "the [Roman] Catholic faith that made Europe" and added: "No other human force in Europe can render the service that is confided to us, promoters of the faith, to awaken the Christian soul of Europe, where its unity is rooted." [Reported in The Reformer, January/February, 1976. Note that it is a "human" force, not one of God.] It is the Papacy that is behind the drive for European unity. The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) once remarked: "The Papacy is no other than the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof." [Leviathan, Part 4, Chapter 47 (1651).] The Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 99 article on the Roman Empire states: "It was the [Roman Catholic] Church, more than anything, that was the real heir of the Empire, and which was able to provide a measure of continuity after the collapse of temporal power and civil administration. The Papacy continued to be based in Rome and to exert enormous authority over most of Europe, keeping alive not only many of the ideas of the Roman world but also a sense of a wider community which looked to the ancient city for support and leadership." The dream of re-establishing that Empire has never been abandoned. Napoléon and Hitler failed in their attempts. The late Enoch Powell alluded in the Evening Standard (December 2, 1987) to a "profound rearrangement now taking place" involving the "dissolution of the North Atlantic Alliance versus Warsaw Pact confrontation" and resulting in an arrangement which would "reappear like some submerged landscape revealed when the floodwaters fall, an older pattern, which previous generations would have no difficulty in recognising. [...] Its old name is Holy Roman Empire." The comparison is strongly reminiscent of the Biblical prophecy in Revelation 17:8 of a beast ascending out of a bottomless pit. more...| EU/UN/4th Kingdom | RCC | NewWorldOrder |
Pope: Other Christians not true churches Associated
Press (July 10, 2007) - Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the
Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says
Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian
denominations were not true churches. Benedict approved a document
from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It
was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are
erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65
meetings that modernized the church. On Saturday, Benedict revisited
another key aspect of Vatican II by reviving the old Latin Mass.
Traditional Catholics cheered the move, but more liberal ones called
it a step back from Vatican II. Benedict, who attended Vatican II as a
young theologian, has long complained about what he considers the
erroneous interpretation of the council by liberals, saying it was not
a break from the past but rather a renewal of church tradition. In the
latest document — formulated as five questions and answers — the
Vatican seeks to set the record straight on Vatican II's ecumenical
intent, saying some contemporary theological interpretation had been
"erroneous or ambiguous" and had prompted confusion and doubt. It
restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was
prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which set off a
firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian
denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely
ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of
salvation." In the new document and an accompanying commentary, which
were released as the pope vacations here in Italy's Dolomite
mountains, the Vatican repeated that position. "Christ 'established
here on earth' only one church," the document said. The other
communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because
they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their
bishops back to Christ's original apostles. more...
That they may be One Catholic.net
(April 25, 2007) - The efforts of Pope
Benedict XVI to restore Church unity in his two years as Vicar of
Christ. From the first moments of his pontificate Pope Benedict XVI
perceived God’s plans clearly. “The current Successor (of Peter) assumes
as his primary commitment that of working tirelessly towards the
reconstitution of the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers.
This is his ambition, this is his compelling duty.” Now, on his second
anniversary as Pope, his track record shows us the seriousness of his
commitment. Few people expected Pope Benedict, now 80, to keep up the
pace of world travel that the young Pope John Paul II had set. The
consequent drop in worldwide media coverage of the Pope’s activities is
understandable. However, the quiet insistence of the current Vicar of
Christ merits more attention. His various apostolic visitations,
numerous ecumenical gatherings and even his weekly Wednesday audiences
demonstrate his focused goal of achieving unity. This mission takes
place on three levels. First, there is the difficult task of achieving
full Christian unity. Second, there is unity within and among
increasingly secular societies that needs to be considered. Third, and
this is something the Pope has particularly stressed, there is the issue
of the unity between faith and reason. On his first apostolic visit to
Germany for World Youth Day, Pope Benedict met with Christians of all
denominations to express with clarity his great hope. “What does it mean
to restore the unity of all Christians? … This unity subsists, we are
convinced, in the Catholic Church, without the possibility of ever being
lost. This does not, however, mean uniformity in all expressions of
theology and spirituality, in liturgical forms and in discipline.” For
some that may sound a bit too ambitious, but as Pope Benedict has
repeated on various occasions, “We can only obtain unity as a gift of
the Holy Spirit.” In that same World Youth Day address he stressed that
“spiritual ecumenism -- prayer, conversion and the sanctification of
life -- constitute the heart of the ecumenical movement. It could be
said that the best form of ecumenism consists in living in accordance
with the Gospel.” Given this firm interior preparation, the Pope
expressed his sincere hope in the fulfilment of this mission given to
him from on high. “I am convinced,” he said, “that if more and more
people unite themselves to the Lord’s prayer ‘that all may be one’, then
this prayer, made in the name of Jesus, will not go unheard.” The papal
visit to Valencia, Spain, gave the Pontiff an opportunity to expound his
deep concerns for the unity in secular society. He especially addressed
the secularist trend causing Europe’s demographic suicide. This ongoing
theme of the unity of faith and reason at the service of humanity also
motivated his speech at the University of Regensburg. There, in his
visit to Bavaria the Pope argued that reason without faith threatens the
unity of Christians as well as unity among societies. “Secularized
reason is unable to enter into a true dialogue with the religions. It
remains closed to the question of God, and this will end by leading to
the clash of cultures,” he recalled in his address to the Curia. Pope
Benedict does not suggest that the clash of civilizations is inevitable,
but sees a clear connection between this threat and Christian unity. He
stressed that “religions must encounter one another in the common task
of putting themselves at the service of the truth and thus, of the human
being.” Contrary to the misinterpretations of his speech in Regensburg,
the Pope’s visit to Turkey showed the world his respect for the Islamic
religion. In the Blue Mosque in Istanbul he prayed “that all believers
might recognize themselves as creatures and give witness of authentic
fraternity.” Amidst a crowd of 400,000 gathered in the celebration of
Pentecost, he called upon the various ecclesial movements present to
“accept the active directives of the Successor of Peter, but
also of the bishops of the various local Churches who, with the Pope,
are custodians of truth and charity in unity.” He encouraged
the enthusiasm and initiative of these new lay groups in the Church
reminding them that their various activities should converge in a common
end. “He wants your diversity and he wants you for the one
body.” more...
So my point is let those who accept the Bible as the infallible Word of God be united in that faith and in one accord, but one has to put aside what they hold as Truth to be accepted with those who reject Yeshua is not a place the true Church should be seeking acceptance, rather from God alone. People are welcome to believe what they want, God never takes away our free will and choice so neither would I, but I've seen too much proof sola scriptura to be deceived by those who wish to erase Christ from history. Just because the world does not like the Truth, doesn't mean that there is no longer only one Truth. Christ said we should be one, but He was speaking of those who accept Him, not of the world in general. When we compromise Truth to get along, we do everyone a disservice because reality will always catch up to us once we die. We are promised to be hated by the world for holding our faith in Christ alone that will lead to the war on the saints. My prayer is that Christians return to the Book of the origin of their beliefs for the answers and not men. In so doing myself, all has become clear and errors exposed in many places. God has not left us in darkness and will guide us personally through His Word if we only ask and do. Continued discussion here.
Pope's Retreat Preacher Speaks on Antichrist as a "pacifist,
ecologist and ecumenist"
(March 1, 2007)
- Papal watchers are wondering what message Pope Benedict XVI
was giving when he selected retired Bologna archbishop Cardinal
Giacomo Biffi to preach the annual Lenten retreat to the Pope
and the top members of the Vatican. Rocco Palmo, expert Vatican
reporter for The Tablet, the international Catholic weekly
published in London England has noted the significance of the
selection of the Lenten retreat preacher. "Since time immemorial
-- or, at least, the retreat's heightened profile over the 20th
century -- the selection of the preacher has become a
closely-watched indicator of the prevailing winds in the papal
apartment," said Palmo on his blog. "(T)he choice often falling
to a voice the Pope might like to tout... and not just for a
higher prominence on the preaching circuit." Palmo added weight
to his remarks noting that "Before their respective elections to
the papacy, both Joseph Ratzinger and Karol Wojtyla were tapped
to lead the annual exercises." This year's selection when it
became known created a stir since Cardinal Biffi, while he is
known for orthodox faith and frank words, is most well known, at
least in the secular media, for his preaching on the Antichrist.
In fact, the Times of London reported in 2004 that the Cardinal
described the Antichrist as "walking among us". The Lenten
retreat did not disappoint. Cardinal Biffi picked up on his oft
repeated theme of the Antichrist, basing his remarks on the
works of Vladimir Soloviev, a Russian theologian who has
received praise from Pope Benedict prior to his elevation to the
pontificate. Quoting Soloviev, the Cardinal said "the
Antichrist presents himself as pacifist, ecologist and
ecumenist." "He will convoke an ecumenical council and
will seek the consensus of all the Christian confessions,
granting something to each one. The masses will follow him, with
the exception of small groups of Catholics, Orthodox and
Protestants," he said according to a Zenit translation of a
Vatican Radio summary
here. In his "Tale of the Antichrist" Solovyov foresees that
a small group of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants will resist
and will say to the Antichrist: "You give us everything,
except what interests us, Jesus Christ". For Cardinal
Biffi, this narrative is a warning: "Today, in fact, we run
the risk of having a Christianity which puts aside Jesus with
his cross and resurrection." The 78-year-old cardinal added
that if Christians "limited themselves to speaking of shared
values they would be more accepted on television programs and in
social groups. But in this way, they will have renounced Jesus,
the overwhelming reality of the resurrection." The cardinal said
he believes that this is "the danger that Christians face in
our days … the Son of God cannot be reduced to a
series of good projects sanctioned by the prevailing worldly
mentality." The preacher of the Spiritual Exercises
added that "there are relative values, such as solidarity, love
of peace and respect for nature. If these become absolute,
uprooting or even opposing the proclamation of the event of
salvation, then these values become an instigation to idolatry
and obstacles on the way of salvation." Cardinal Biffi affirmed
that "if Christianity -- on opening itself to the world and
dialoguing with all -- dilutes the salvific event, it closes
itself to a personal relationship with Jesus and places itself
on the side of the Antichrist." Cardinal Biffi's
reflections, in fact, are very similar to remarks Pope Benedict
made last Fall in a meeting with Swiss Bishops. While Pope
Benedict did not speak of the Antichrist, he spoke of a new
false or "substitute" religion, calling it also a "successor" of
religion. "Modern society is not simply without morality, but it
has, so to speak, 'discovered' and professes a part of
morality", the Pope told the Swiss bishops. "These are the
great themes of peace, non-violence, justice for all, concern
for the poor, and respect for creation." However, the
Pope warned that these "great moral themes" have "become an
ethical complex that, precisely as a political force, has great
power and constitutes for many the substitute for religion, or
its successor." "It is only if human life is respected from
conception to death that the ethics of peace is also possible
and credible," concluded the Pope. "It is only then that
non-violence can express itself in every direction; only then
that we truly welcome creation, and only then that we can arrive
at true justice."
No Negotiations Regarding Mt. Zion (February
7, 2007) - Minister Yaakov Edry says that
contacts will not be held with the Vatican over the transfer of
the David's Tomb complex on Jerusalem's Mt. Zion. Despite the
repeated requests by the Vatican, Edry said that Israel views
the area as totally Israel and will not hold talks on the
matter. Edry was responding to a Knesset query submitted by MK
Yaakov Amsalem of United Torah Judaism. Well it's good to see Israel stand up for her heritage and Promised Land. I think this shows that it won't take much for Israel to return to the ways of their fathers once they see God's real protection in the Gog/Magog invasion. I think that will be one of the defining moments in Israel's modern history and they will no more profane the name of God. Ezekiel 38,39
Writer's Block
Herb L. Peters (January 8, 2007)
- Some call it writer's block. It's a condition that usually
happens when a writer can't think of anything to write. In my
case, I think it's the opposite -- I have too much to write. You
may have noticed: Although I've been posting links to news
reports that I believe may be significant, I haven't posted my
usual commentary for several days. So, today we'll go over why I
felt some of these recent reports may be important. Yesterday it
was reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be
going to Israel to, as the report says, "exploit what she
perceives as an opportunity to break the deadlock on the stalled
peace process". And, Rice is quoted as saying, "there is a
potential opening here to make progress on the issue of a
two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in
peace and security"
Read about it here. The next report makes it
obvious where this "opportunity" may have actually come from --
the amazing success of the recent Euromed summit held in
Tampere, Finland. Before the summit, the problem was getting the
Euromed's Arab partners on board the peace train. In fact, at
last year's Euromed the majority of these Arab partners didn't
even bother to show up. Regarding this year's summit, the report
says: The European Union and its Israeli and Arab neighbours
on November 28 vowed to work together for Middle East peace and
to help pave the way for a two-state solution. It also says:
But Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country
currently runs the rotating EU presidency, said he had “never
experienced such a positive atmosphere” in talks on the Mideast
peace process
Read about it here. So, what has happened since
last year's Euromed to change the Arab partners mind? Friends,
what's happened was last January's so-called "cartoon intifada"
-- the crisis triggered by cartoons seen as offensive to Islam
-- and the world's resulting embrace of the UN's new Alliance of
Civilizations (AoC). In July another thing that happened for the
Arab Euromed partners was, in the Israeli/Lebanon war, a new
enemy emerged -- one more dangerous to their interests than
Israel -- Iran. And now, as of January 1, 2007, the EU's "New"
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) kicks in, promising good
things to all of them -- if they join the Euromed way of making
the peace. Already the Euromed and ENP partners of Jordan,
Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and Israel are agreeing to a
regional peace summit. Syria, the last ENP hold out, is now
under renewed pressure to get on board too
Read about it here. In the meantime, Pope
Benidict has openly and clearly thrown his hat into the AoC ring
and calling for a "renewed humanism". The Pope is quoted saying,
"The need emerged to elaborate a new world political and
economic order, but at the same time and above all, a spiritual
and cultural one _ that is, renewed humanism". The report also
says, "The pope said that while politicians, scientists and
researchers play important roles in the modern world, "today,
more than ever, it is necessary to place at their side the
leaders of the great non- Christian religious traditions" as
well as Christian leaders
Read about it here. Notice the kind of new world
order that the Pope is calling for -- a political, economic and
spiritual new world order. Bible believing friends, if that
doesn't concern you, I don't know what would. You see, the Bible
tells us, in the end times, a new global religious leader (not
suggesting the Pope) will appear who will have the political
power to enforce his religious views by economic means. An
economic system will be introduced that, if people don't
participate in this leader's form of religion, they will not be
able to buy or sell. In the book of Revelation we read:
And he provides that no one will be able
to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the
name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let
him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for
the number is that of a man; and his number is six
hundred and sixty-six (Revelation
13:17-18 New American Standard Bible). Notice
in the above passage it says, "the number
is that of a man". People who know Greek will tell us
that, since there is no article in the Greek text, this passage
can also be correctly read to say, "the number of man". And,
it's my opinion that that's what's being said. And, that's why
the Pope's call for a "renewed humanism" may be significant. The
biblical number of man is the number six. God created man on the
sixth day. Three sixes indicates the highest level of man, as
God Himself is revealed as a Trinity. You see, humanism is
actually defined as a religion. And, for some who don't believe
in the God of the Bible, it can be a belief that man is God.
So, the man who ascends into the ultimate position of
worldly power is, in the mind of some humanists, God. more...
Pope Urges Need for 'Renewed Humanism'
(January 5, 2007)
- Religious leaders of all faiths must play a role in
ensuring that the spiritual and cultural aspects of life
are not forgotten as mankind tackles the challenges of
globalization,
Pope Benedict XVI said
Saturday. In his homily during Mass in
St. Peter's Basilica, the
pope said recent decades have seen a "challenge to global
civilization, where the center can no longer be Europe and
not even that which we call the West or the North of the
world." "The need emerged to elaborate a
new world political and economic order, but at the same
time and above all, a spiritual and cultural one _ that
is, renewed humanism," he said. "At the
start of the Third Millennium we find ourselves smack in
the middle of this phase of human history, that has been
for some time dubbed 'globalization.'" The pope said that
while politicians, scientists and researchers play
important roles in the modern world, "today,
more than ever, it is necessary to place at their side the
leaders of the great non-Christian religious traditions"
as well as Christian leaders.
Benedict appeared to be
building on a theme often stressed by his predecessor,
John Paul II, who worried
that modernization was coming at the cost of
spirituality. more...
Pope hailed for praying toward Mecca like Muslims
(December 1, 2006) - Pope
Benedict
ended a sensitive, fence-mending visit to Turkey on Friday amid praise for
visiting Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque and praying there facing toward Mecca
"like Muslims." The Pope, who sparked protests across the Muslim world with a
speech two months ago seen as criticizing Islam, looked relaxed and pleased as
he entered the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit for a mass at the end of the
four-day trip. His first visit to a mostly Muslim country, held under tight
security for fear of protests by nationalists and Islamists, was highlighted by
a series of conciliatory gestures culminating in a stop on Thursday afternoon in
Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque. Istanbul Grand Mufti Mustafa Cagrici, who prayed
with him there, said Benedict had faced Mecca and stood like Muslims do when
they pray aright. "These were very nice gestures," he told NTV television. "The
Pope's dreaded visit was concluded with a wonderful surprise," wrote daily Aksam
on its front page. "In Sultan Ahmet Mosque, he turned toward Mecca and prayed
like Muslims," the popular daily Hurriyet said, using the building's official
name. Just before leaving, Benedict said he hoped his visit was seen as "a sign
of friendship between religions" that helps bring countries and cultures closer
together. His gestures, including support for Ankara's bid to join the European
Union
and praise for Islam as a peaceful faith, seem to have persuaded the Turks to
move beyond the tension following his speech quoting a Byzantine emperor as
calling Islam violent.
Erdogan calls on pope to back 'alliance of civilizations'
(November 24, 2006)
- Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan has urged Pope Benedict
XVI to back the "Alliance of Civilizations" between the West and the
Muslim world launched in 2004 by Ankara and Madrid. "The pope, who is
both a politician and a religious figure, can play an important role in
replacing a climate of war with a climate of peace," Erdogan said over
Italian television late Thursday. Erdogan, who will not be in Ankara
during the pope's visit next week, said his "only message" for Benedict
was "to support the Turko-Spanish initiative of an 'Alliance of
Civilizations' as an alternative to the clash of civilizations." The
initiative, launched at the United Nations in September 2004, is
designed to join Western and Muslim states to fight radical Islam. It
calls on institutions and civil society to overcome prejudices and
misunderstandings between peoples of different cultures and religions.
Erdogan, the head of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party,
which has Islamist roots, reiterated his stance on the pope's remarks in
September viewed by Muslims as linking Islam to violence. "We have never
allowed ourselves to insult the prophets of other religions," he said.
"Our faith even orders us to respect them. Thus we have the right to
expect the same treatment from members of other religions." Erdogan will
be unable to meet the head of the Roman Catholic Church during his
November 28-December 1 visit because he will be at the NATO summit in
Riga, Latvia. "We cannot neglect the Atlantic Alliance because the pope
is coming to Turkey," he said.
Vatican officially confirms Pope trip to Turkey
(October 16, 2006) - The Vatican
on Monday officially confirmed that Pope Benedict
will visit Turkey at the end of November, a trip that had been put into
doubt by Muslim anger over controversial comments he made about Islam. The
confirmation of the Nov 28-Dec 1 trip to the predominantly Muslim nation
came in an advisory to journalists on accreditation and a separate
announcement that he was making the trip at the invitation of President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The German Pope will spend four days in Turkey, making
stops at the capital, Ankara, as well as Izmir, Ephesus, where legend says
Christ's mother went after his death, and Istanbul. The main purpose of
the visit is to meet in Istanbul -- the former Constantinople -- with
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of the world's Orthodox
Christians. In September, the Pope met ambassadors from predominantly
Muslim countries, including Turkey and assured them that he was committed
to dialogue with Islam. Church sources have said the Vatican's annual
message to the Islamic world to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan due to be released on Friday, was rewritten to address the
tensions that arose after the Pope's lecture.
more...
Vatican opens pre-WWII archives
(September
18, 2006) - The Vatican has opened to scholars and
historians part of its vast collection of archives. The section being
opened covers the rise of Mussolini and Hitler and the run-up to the World
War II. It dates from the reign of Pope Pius XI, who was pope from 1922
until just before the outbreak of war in 1939. Details of the Vatican's
relations with Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini are
expected to be of great interest to scholars. The Vatican houses one of
the world's most important historical archives, the so-called "secret
archive" which contains some 2m documents dating back up to 1,000 years.
They are kept for safety mainly in underground fireproof bunkers and
storerooms placed along some 50 linear miles (80.4km) of shelving.
Periodically the pope decides to open to scrutiny by scholars and
professional historians a new treasure house of documents. The latest
release covers the years when no less than four notorious dictators came
to power - Benito Mussolini in Italy, Joseph Stalin in Russia, Adolf
Hitler in Germany and Francisco Franco in Spain. Details of relations
between the Vatican and these countries during this period will be of
outstanding interest to scholars. more...
Calls for calm as militants threaten to kill the Pope / additional
reporting (September
19, 2006) - The Vatican tried to appease Muslim anger over the
Pope’s remarks on Islam yesterday, as protests continued and a
terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda vowed to kill the pontiff. Dr.
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, defended Pope Benedict
XVI, saying: “There are elements in Islam that can be used to justify
violence, just as there are in Christianity and Judaism.” He added:
“The Pope has issued an apology, and I think his views on this need to
be judged against his entire record, where he has spoken very
positively about dialogue.” Security around St Peter’s Square remained
tight as al-Qaeda militants in Iraq vowed to “conquer Rome”. The
Mujahidin Shura Council, an umbrella group for Sunni Islamists, said
in a statement: “We tell the worshipper of the Cross (the Pope) that
you and the West will be defeated . . . May God enable us to slit
their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the
mujahidin.” Another militant group in Iraq, Ansar al-Sunnah, added:
“The day is coming when the armies of Islam will destroy the ramparts
of Rome.” Effigies of the Pope were burnt from Basra in Iraq to
Muzaffarabad in Kashmir. The president of the Islamic Association of
China said that the Pope had insulted both Islam and the Prophet
Muhammad. more... This conflict between the Catholic church and Islam is laid out in Bible prophecy, I believe. There is a prophecy about a woman that rides the beast (antichrist) and who sits on many waters (multitudes, nations, and tongues). It can be found in Revelation 17:1-6; 16-18. The 10 horns of the beast hate the woman, making her desolate and naked, eating her flesh and burning her with fire. I believe these 10 horns (10 kings that rule 1 hour with the beast) are the 10 Muslim nations who will align with the EU, which is the seat of the antichrist. To those not into Bible prophecy, it may all sound a little bizarre, but the information is all there. Read my Bible studies on: The beast from the sea (antichrist) | The beast from the earth (false prophet) | Woman who rides the beast (RCC)
Pope and former students ponder evolution, not "Intelligent Design" (September
4, 2006) - Pope Benedict and his former doctoral
students spent a weekend pondering evolution without discussing
controversies over intelligent design and creationism raging in the
United States, a participant said on Sunday. The three-day closed-door
meeting at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome
ended as planned without drawing any conclusions but the group plans
to publish its discussion papers, said Father Joseph Fessio S.J. Media
speculation had said the debate might shift Vatican policy to embrace
"intelligent design," which claims to prove scientifically that life
could not have simply evolved, or even the "creationist" view that God
created the world in six days. "It wasn't that at all," Fessio, who is
provost of Ave Maria University in Florida, told Reuters by telephone
from Rome. The Pope's session with 39 former students was "a meeting
of friends with some scholars to discuss an interesting theme". "We
did not really speak much about intelligent design," said Fessio,
whose Ignatius Press publishes the Pope's books in English. "In fact,
that particular controversy did not arise." Fessio said Benedict took
part in the discussions but said nothing different from previous
public statements, in which he has recognized evolution as a
scientific fact but argued that God ultimately created the world and
all life in it. more... I recommend watching Kent Hovind's series on the creation/evolution debate if you don't feel informed enough to make a decision on what you believe. He lays it all out scientifically and logically. You can view his videos via YouTube here. Macro-evolution does not exist and has never been observed. Changes within a kind of animal are very common, that's why we have so many breeds of dogs and cats, but they're all the same kind of animal, a dog or a cat. This is a must foundational piece for all believers and a common-sense tool to reach non-believers.
Mary can bring Christianity and Islam together says Muslim writer
(July 3, 2006)
- Mary can bring religions
together says Muslim writer. An
Egyptian Muslim and deputy director of a prominent Italian newspaper has
suggested that Mary could be the figure to bring Christians and Muslims
together. Mr Magdi Allam of Il Corriere della Sera has launched
an appeal in the pages of the national daily newspaper to Muslims in
Italy to visit Marian shrines. The journalist said that he is convinced
that the Virgin Mary is a meeting point between Christians and Muslims.
"Mary is a figure present in the Koran, which dedicates an entire
chapter to her and mentions her some thirty times. In Muslim countries
there are Marian shrines that are the object of veneration and
pilgrimage by Christian and Muslim faithful," he said. "Therefore, I
believe that if this happens in Muslim countries, why can't it happen in
a Christian country, especially in this historical phase in which we
need to define symbols, values and figures that unite religions,
spiritualities and cultures?" he asked.
more... World Religious Leaders Hold Interfaith Summit in Washington (April 26, 2006) - Religious leaders from a broad swath of worldwide faiths met Wednesday at Georgetown University for an annual interfaith forum being held in the United States for the first time. The two-day International Prayer for Peace is the largest regular interfaith gathering in the world, with an expected 100 speakers from many religions, including Roman Catholics, Jews, Methodists, Muslims, Mennonites, Eastern Orthodox Christians and Shintoists. Charity groups, academics, journalists and diplomats will also take part. Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick welcomed the crowd of 500 and called the interfaith summit the dream of Pope John Paul II, who started the meetings 20 years ago. "He knew the more we could get on the same page, the same place, the same relation to a God that loves us all, the more powerful our prayers would be," McCarrick said. While the meeting's goal is not to draft policies, organizers hope it will foster greater ties and communication between major faiths that come into contact more frequently — not always peacefully — in an increasingly globalized world. This year's panel discussions include the role of religion in combating AIDS, poverty and genocide, and in resolving conflicts between faiths. Religiously motivated terrorism also is a central theme. more... St. Malachy's "Last Pope" - The Catholic church has a prophecy concerning the succession of the Popes and the next Pope will be the last according to the prophecies of St. Malachy. The line of Pontiffs have almost come to an end. Malachy undertook to list in advance the proper succession of Roman pontiffs from Celestine II (1143) to "the end of the world." He did not name them, but revealed the successors under symbolic titles, set down in Latin. His prophecy contained a motto for111 Popes starting with Celestine II (1143). St. Malachy's family name was O'Morgair and he was born in Armagh, Ireland, in 1094, more than one thousand years ago. He was baptized as Maelmhaedhoc (this name has been Latinized as Malachy) and he studied under Imbar O'Hagan who later became the Abbot of Armagh. In 1119 he was ordained priest by St. Cellach (Celsus), studied under St Malchus and in 1123 he was elected Abbot of Bangor. A year later he was consecrated Bishop of Connor and in 1132 he became Primate of Armagh. However, according to Bander, owing to intrigues, he had to wait two years before he could finally take possession of the See of Armagh; even then he had to purchase the Bachal Isu (staff of Jesus) from Niall, the usurping lay-primate. He died in 1148 at Clairvaux in the arms of St. Bernard. Unlike the life of many saints, that of St. Malachy is well documented because his contemporary, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, acted as his biographer at the request of the Abbot of Mellifont. St. Bernard describes Malachy as distinguished for his meekness, humility, obedience, modesty and as truly diligent in his studies. He also tells us at length of Malachy foretelling the day and hour of his death. The Breviary in its office for the festival of St. Malachy mentions that he was enriched with the gift of prophecy. PETRUS ROMANUS (Last Pope) The final legend is self-explanatory and the revised Catholic Church version of The Prophecies of St. Malachy conclude with this short but fascinating statement: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock among many tribulations; after which the seven hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people."
Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible Times
Online (October 5, 2005) - The
hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document
instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually
true. The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning
their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study
of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy” from the
Bible. “We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific
accuracy or complete historical precision,” they say in The Gift of
Scripture. The document is timely, coming as it does amid the rise
of the religious Right, in particular in the US. Some Christians want a
literal interpretation of the story of creation, as told in Genesis,
taught alongside Darwin’s theory of evolution in schools, believing
“intelligent design” to be an equally plausible theory of how the world
began. But the first 11 chapters of Genesis, in which two different and
at times conflicting stories of creation are told, are among those that
this country’s Catholic bishops insist cannot be “historical”. At most,
they say, they may contain “historical traces”. The document shows how
far the Catholic Church has come since the 17th century, when Galileo
was condemned as a heretic for flouting a near-universal belief in the
divine inspiration of the Bible by advocating the Copernican view of the
solar system. Only a century ago, Pope Pius X condemned Modernist
Catholic scholars who adapted historical-critical methods of analysing
ancient literature to the Bible. In the document, the bishops
acknowledge their debt to biblical scholars. They say the Bible must be
approached in the knowledge that it is “God’s word expressed in human
language” and that proper acknowledgement should be given both to the
word of God and its human dimensions. They say the Church must offer the
gospel in ways “appropriate to changing times, intelligible and
attractive to our contemporaries”. The Bible is true in passages
relating to human salvation, they say, but continue: “We should not
expect total accuracy from the Bible in other, secular matters.” They go
on to condemn fundamentalism for its “intransigent intolerance” and to
warn of “significant dangers” involved in a fundamentalist approach.
“Such an approach is dangerous, for example, when people of one nation
or group see in the Bible a mandate for their own superiority, and even
consider themselves permitted by the Bible to use violence against
others.” more... The neocons new strategy for Europe Voltairenet.org (October 3, 2005) - The European scene has been modified by the rejection of the European Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands and the result of the recent legislative elections in Germany. Thierry Meyssan reveals the analyses of US neoconservatives and their new strategy for Europe. As a result of the lessons learned from the events that have shaken Europe over the past two years, the neoconservatives have decided to change their own agenda for this region of the world, which originally involved: 1) Redeploying the US military forces stationed in Europe, moving them to the East and the South to control Central and Eastern Europe, and establishing a “containment belt” around the Russian Federation;The redeployment of US troops has been taking place without any questioning. The European Union affectively participates – not complaining – in all destabilization operations carried out around Russia; with the pretext of carrying out programs of assistance and economic development, the EU facilitates US interference in the Caucasus; Javier Solana himself was in Ukraine supervising the “Orange” Revolution; and the Commission is financing a destabilization program against Belarus. The loyal Solana, who has not forgotten that he was the NATO General Secretary before he was appointed General Secretary of the European Union, managed to have the Council of Heads of State and Government adopt a strategic doctrine that copies very faithfully that of President Bush. This is why the EU’s defense is more than ever dependent on NATO. However, although Solana was successful in involving the European Union in Afghanistan and Sudan, he failed in the case of Iraq. Based on this incomplete result, the neoconservatives concluded that it was possible to manipulate the European Union within the European continent, but its members have so differing interests around the world that they are unable to perform the role the conservatives have given them. After interpreting these events as an illustration of the fears of expansion of the European Union and the immigration it is causing, or as a depressive crisis in the face of unemployment, equally translated into extremist votes, and even anti-Semitic ones, the neoconservatives understood that they would not be able to impose the Anglo-Saxon socio-economic model on recalcitrant populations through the political way. They have now changed their plans and have decided to look for the support of the world faction of national business owners. José Manuel Barroso, appointed president of the Commission thanks to George W. Bush after he organized the Summit of the Azores prior to the invasion of Iraq, was ordered to put the European Constitution aside and to readjust the mechanism. Thus, last week, Barroso announced the burial of the 70 legislative projects saying they are too complex and annoying for the public opinion. The truth is that the strategy has been changed: it is no longer about ruling under the authority of the Commission, but about dismantling what currently exists and transferring the making of the regulations to a transatlantic Regulation Forum controlled by the top chiefs of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD). In accordance with this new trend, the directives of Reach and Bolkenstein, which had been sacrificed so that the Constitution could be approved, have now resurfaced. The first one aims at eliminating regulations for chemical production. The second, obviously more important, aims at eliminating national social legislations so that the European Union may be compatible with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The principle is simple: taking free circulation as a pretext, the business owner has the possibility of choosing which social legislation he will put into practice for his employees and transferring the social headquarters of his companies to the country where the legislation best fits his interests. In addition, so as to convince the European people of what politicians have not been able to impose on them, the neoconservatives are now turning to Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church. The leaders of the US Episcopal Conference and the Episcopate Commission of the European Union met in Brussels, from September 21st to the 23rd, to express their support of the “New Transatlantic Agenda”. In Washington, the neoconservatives decided to adapt their organizational mechanism to the new strategy. In the American Enterprise Institute, the group in charge of writing the presidential program of George W. Bush, the Project for a New American Century, was discreetly disbanded last week. It was replaced with the American Committee for a Strong Europe. “Strong Europe” actually means a Europe that can do the work that US troops currently do around the world and one that can defeat any anti-globalization efforts on its own continent. This Committee, which will try not to interfere too openly with the European Union policy, immediately asked the “friends of America” to do it for them. Thus, Saudi Arabia said “present” and will finance the next electoral campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy in France so that the neoconservatives can get rid of Dominique de Villepin. Similar measures were taken with respect to each and every big state of the European Union. | RCC | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Solana | NewWorldOrder | America | |
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